Picture: My darling Natasha showing off her teeth in 2001.

I realized that I left something out in Dental Health with PI Kids blog. The article below reminded me.

I told a story about a Ukrainian adopted child who was terrified of the dentist. She was scared because she was forced (while living in her Ukrainian orphanage) to watch a tooth being pulled out of another child's mouth. This was a "lesson". "See what happens to children who don't brush their... more

I have heard some gruesome stories about dental issues with children coming from Eastern European orphanages. I am not claiming these are common experiences. At one orphanage children were forced to watch another child have a tooth removed. This was to teach them to brush their teeth. At least one child found the experience traumatic to watch because of the blood and crying.

When this child was adopted she was out-of-her-mind terrified of dentists. And the child had cavities.

Can you image a worst combination? A child just adopted and needs medical care. She is petrified... more

I know that families are switching from Ukraine to Guatemala, China and South Korea. These countries have fairly consistent processing and it is possible to adopt young children/babies.

When I sat down I noticed the lady across from me had an asian boy, about 5 years old, with her. Neat!

So then later after she and the boy go back to see the dr., her hubby comes around the corner (had been talking on his cell) and sits down across from me. After about 5 minutes he asks me if we are adopting from China. I say yes....blah blah blah....

Come... more

I like soccer, but I have really been following Ukraine's process just to see what Coach Oleh Blokhin would do or say next. He strikes me as an interesting character.

So the news.... Spain beat Ukraine; 4 to 0. This is not the worst score in World Cup history for the opening round. But it is pretty bad. And this was the first time that Ukraine qualified for World Cup. Spain and Ukraine were the

dark horses of the tournament

From: World Cup Betting: 60/1 Chelsea... more

I am hoping this means Ukrainian adoption will start in early July. This is the first time that the SDA has released anything officially.

Up until now it has all been rumors......

The US Embassy in Kyiv send the following email.

Subject: Important Notice to Adoption Community - June 14,2006 Date: Wed, 14 Jun 2006 13:45:12 +0300

Dear Members of the American Adoption Community Interested in Ukraine:

The Embassy has received a diplomatic note dated June 6, 2006 from the Consular Department of the Ministry... more

Before I get started on Ukraine references in English language movies, I want to mention Pixar's new movie, Cars.

I thought that it was really cool that Cars is being shown in Ukraine in the Ukrainian language. Many movies shown in Ukraine are in English with Russian subtitles.

But then I read there is a new Ukrainian law that requires 70% of movies to be dubbed in Ukrainian start September 1, 2006. Pixar wasn't being cultural sensitive. They were just adjusting to the new law.

If... more

Part 1 is here. I found several movies (in English) that reference Ukraine. Here are a couple of other movies.

The Sum of All Fears was released in 2002. It is based on a book by Tom Clancy and stars Ben Affleck and Morgan Freeman. Here is why this mainstream movie is on my list.

About an hour into the movie, when Ryan meets Clark after he is ambushed by the two Ukrainian officers, there are a number of mistakes. For one thing, the officers... more

I recently developed a list of movies with Ukrainian references. There are very few movies that focus just on Ukraine. If you know of any other movies (in English) please email me at adoptukraineblog@adoptionmail.com.

Finding Dzhulynka is a documentary that was released in 2004.

Part history, part mystery, and part travelogue, the documentary film "Finding Dzhulynka" follows an American family back to Russia and the Ukraine, as they make... more

I found a wonderful web site by Mark Rosenfelder. He has many interesting pages. My favorites are:

How to tell if you're Ukrainian How to tell if you're American

Here are some my favorite items from the page titled How to tell if you're Ukrainian.

You are still culturally very connected to Russia. Most of the trashy pop and witless comedians you know originate... more

Part 1 is here.

Here is the rest of my 2002 email on why I was open to adopting a child with Hepatitis.

Here is quote about Hepatitis treatment. [I checked and this link doesn't exist anymore.]

Early diagnosis and treatment are crucially important. While there is no guaranteed cure for chronic hepatitis B or C, a significant percentage of people who are treated improve.

From: http://www.hepatitisinnovations.com/treat/index.html

Personally I thought it was worth... more